Weave
by Skidaruzutall
Summary: It all started with a game of Ninja and ended with skinned knees. This is only the first of many meetings that will eventually bind Neji to another. NejiXOC


Finally, the rain had come to a halt. The skies were still dark and puddles were scattered here and there along the road. The sun looked as if it wanted to shine, but it was having a difficult time behind the abundance of rain clouds. Shina, a plain little girl, with plain brown hair and plain brown eyes, was excited that the storm had let up. Somehow she knew that the beginning of her life would start today.

Built like a pixie, Shina was what most people would consider fragile. Her skin was deathly pale and if looking closely, one could see the bluish veins which held her life force just beneath the surface of her skin. Short, slim, and full of mischief described her perfectly. Her Aunt, Anna, always called her a devilish imp because of all the scrapes she gets into on a daily basis. Today was to be one of those days. Shina was determined to see the other boys and girls of the village play Ninja. Though never invited because she seemed so frail, she always wanted to at least watch and learn. One day, she too would play Ninja, and she was determined to be the best.

As she ran outside the small cottage, her aunt stopped her to ask what she would be doing with her day. Anna discouraged wasting the day playing silly games and would rather have had her young niece inside making the most of herself. If her niece was inside, she'd be safe from all the hazards outside so she always encouraged reading, writing, and painting. Her little girl wasn't cut out to be a shinobi but she was cut out to one day be a great storyteller, a librarian, or even a teacher of the fine arts.

"Just what kind of mischief are you off to get yourself into?" her aunt asked of her. "I spent all day yesterday in the village miles from here buying you new books. There's all sorts of adventures you can have inside without ever having to leave the comfort of your own room. Besides a seven year old little girl shouldn't spend all day watching the older kids play. One day you'll have your chance, but not until you're older."

With a mischievous grin, the girl looked at her aunt and spoke. "If I don't run off and play, then you won't worry. How am I to keep you on your toes if I just sit inside and read? Besides, I already read all the books you bought for me. All I want to do is splash around in some of the puddles. I'll be back later Aunty!"

Anna tried to grab for her niece as she ran by, but the girl was too quick for her. Shina spun on her foot to dodge her aunt's arm and took off running. Breathless, she had to stop a few miles down the road towards the village. Bending over, hands on her knees, she struggled to catch her breath, all the while laughing at the look that was on her aunt's face when she had run off. Still giggling, the girl danced off through the forest to look for the older kids.

When she arrived at the outskirts of the village, she peeked around the wooden boards protecting the place from outsiders. She could make out a group of kids standing in a circle together. Squinting against the sun that had come out to show its face, she tried to see what the other children were doing. It looked like they were picking teams to start the game. That was when he caught her attention. Standing straight and tall, this boy just looked bored, like he didn't even want to play the most popular game of the other villagers' children. Trying to stay out of sight, she made her way closer to the group so she could see who was being picked for what team. The boy that caught her eye was one of the first picked, along with Sasuke, the cute boy that the girls were finally beginning to notice. Two of them, Sakura and Ino, were pouting because Sasuke had ended up on a different team than them. Both girls liked Sasuke, and it wasn't exactly a secret. The gossip in the village said the two had went from best friends to rivals all for this one's heart. Shina couldn't decide which one had a better chance. Both were small and slight, with Sakura having pink hair and a wide brow and Ino having long straight blond hair and a fairy like face. Both were so pretty that it wasn't surprising the dark haired boy couldn't choose. But still, the girl couldn't see why the other's didn't realize that the dark haired boy was no match for the one she had noticed earlier. Neji, she thought he was called, was a man to shame all the other's. With his hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, his eyes were more startling to see. Pale and colorless, they gleamed with intelligence and yes, a touch of boredom. It seemed like Ninja wasn't demanding enough on his abilities as a shinobi even though he was only ten years old.

Lost in her thoughts, Shina didn't notice that Neji's posture had suddenly stiffened as a girl who looked remarkably like him was chosen for his team. Her name was Hinata, and she was as feminine a version of Neji as she had ever seen. The pale eyed boy seemed annoyed, gestured to the group that he was disbanding the team and didn't want to play for the rest of the day. Stalking off, the boy didn't spare a glance for his friends but shot the child hiding behind the fence a sharp look.

His glare could melt a glacier but that didn't stop her offer of friendship. "H-h-hi. I'm Shina. If you don't want to play Ninja with them, maybe we could play Ninja together. I promise I'll go easy on you!"

Neji didn't even slow down, much less stop. Her offer whispered in his ears but was discarded because of his anger towards that other girl, Hinata.

Apparently the pixie was also ignorant to the fact that her new idol didn't feel up to chatting. With one last look at the other children, she scampered off after Neji and slowed her pace to walk alongside of him. Not daunted by the irritation she saw on his face, she kept up a lively one sided conversation with him. Annoyed, the boy started walking faster until the girl was all but running to keep up. Stumbling over a rock, Shina fell to the ground skinning her knees. Kneeling, she picked the pieces of gravel out of her hand that she used to stop her fall. With tears in her eyes, she glared at the boy's back as he kept walking. He knew she had fallen and hurt herself, but the uncaring blockhead didn't even pause in his steps. Picking up the rock that had tripped her, she took aim and threw it at Neji's back, hoping to hit him and make him pause.

A step to the left from Neji and the rock missed its target. The boy turned around, sighed, and walked towards her. Wasting no time, he picked her up, dusted her off, and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"There's no cause for tears. Your knees and hands aren't even bleeding. Kindly leave me be as we're not friends, and I have no wish to be. Grow up and maybe then I'll spare you more than a glance." With those words, the boy swiftly disappeared into the trees alongside the road.

_Grow up and maybe I'll spare you more than a glance. _Holding those words to her heart, Shina skipped off home, ignoring the sting of her injuries.

There was no sight of her aunt as she stepped into the house but then again, the girl didn't even look. Once in her room, she dove onto her bed and cradled her head in her hands.

_Who would've thought the beginning of my life would start on a rainy afternoon with an irritating boy who didn't even give me a chance to show what I'm made of? Today, I know we've started something special. It may take years, but eventually our two paths will weave to form one._


End file.
